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2012 Formula One Season
The 2012 Formula One Season will be the 63rd season of Formula One. It is due to be the penultimate year of 2.4 litre V8 engines, which are due to be replaced in 2014 with 1.6 litre V6 turbo engines. This season marks the return of the United States Grand Prix, with the race due to held in Austin, Texas. In 2013, there will also be another Grand Prix to be held in America - this will be the American Grand Prix, which is to take place at Port Imperial Street Circuit in New Jersey. Sebastian Vettel is defending the driver's championship crown, while his team Red Bull defends the constructors title. Teams and Drivers Car Launch Dates Of those confirmed Driver Changes Reserve means test or third driver * Jaime Alguersauri: Toro Rosso (driver) → ? * Jérôme d'Ambrosio: Virgin (driver) → Lotus (reserve) * Rubens Barrichello: Williams (driver) → ? * Sébastien Buemi: Toro Rosso (driver) → Red Bull (reserve) / Toro Rosso (reserve) * Pedro de la Rosa: McLaren (reserve) → HRT * Romain Grosjean: GP2 / Renault (reserve) → Lotus (driver) * Nico Hülkenburg: Force India (reserve) → Force India (driver) * Vitantonio Luizzi: HRT (driver) → i1 Super Series * Vitaly Petrov: Renault (driver) → ? * Charles Pic: GP2 → Marussia (driver) * Kimi Räikkönen: Rallying → Lotus (driver) * Daniel Ricciardo: HRT / Red Bull (reserve) / Toro Rosso (reserve) → Toro Rosso (driver) * Bruno Senna: Renault (driver) → Williams (driver) * Adrian Sutil: Force India (driver) → ? * Jean-Éric Vergne: Toro Rosso (reserve) → Toro Rosso (driver) * Note: Robert Kubica will not return to Lotus at the start of the season, but may return mid-season. Team Changes * Three teams changed names: ** Lotus will change to Caterham. ** Renault will change to Lotus. ** Virgin will change to Marussia. * Williams will stop using Cosworth engines and begin using Renault engines. Calendar Calendar Changes * Races not on the 2011 Calendar: ** The Bahrain Grand Prix returned after the 2011 race was postponed, and then cancelled, after the Arab Spring made the race a severe danger. Since the violence has not died down, the 2012 race may be boycotted. ** The United States Grand Prix returned for the first time since 2007. * Race on the 2011 Calendar but not on the 2012 Calendar: ** The Turkish Grand Prix could not negiotiate a renewed contract with Formula One Management (FOM). * Circuit changes: ** The German Grand Prix switched back to the Hockenheimring from the Nürburgring, to continue the race's policy of switching between the two circuits. * Calendar changes: ** Note: These do not include changes from the provisional calendar. ** The Bahrain Grand Prix returns as the fourth round (taking Turkey's place), meaning that the Australian Grand Prix is once again the season opener. ** The United States Grand Prix is placed as the nineteeth round. ** As a result, the Brazilian Grand Prix is still the final round of the championship, but as round twenty. * Disputes: ** The United States Grand Prix has had monetary problems and the circuit may not be completed on time. ** The Bahrain Grand Prix, as mentioned above, may be boycotted. ** The European Grand Prix organisers have written to Bernie Ecclestone, stating that the race may not be financially viable. The organisers of the Spanish Grand Prix have expressed similar concerns. Changes Car Design Changes * The height of the nose of the Front Wing has been reduced from 625mm to 550mm (a change of 100mm, or 10cm). * Exhausts must exit the bodywork upwards in a periscope manner. It must also have an internal diameter of 75mm. This is so the teams cannot take advantage of off-throttle blown diffusers for extra downforce. The operating temperatures of the exhausts are likely to fall by about 200°C from 2011. * Exotic engine maps have also been banned, with more conventional ones put in place. * The use of helium in air guns have been banned, for being too expensive for the competitive gain. * The re-active ride-height system developed by Lotus has been banned as "any aerodynamic effect created by the suspension should be incidental to its primary function" and "any device that influences the car's aerodynamics must remain immobile in relation to the spring part of the car". Results and Standings Testing The 2012 Young Driver Test took place in 2011 Category:Formula 1 Seasons